Mechanical advantage is all about trading one thing for another--namely force and distance--and using that trade to your advantage. I have demonstrated it with a plank and a fulcrum by having a first grade kid easily lift a 9th grade kid. The concept reappears in hydraulics. With electricity, a device called a transformer can trade amperage for voltage, and vice versa.
Sarah Wahlberg recommended this page, which is lots of links about "simple machines." There is everything from glossaries to lesson plans, worksheets to games. http://www.appliancepartspros.com/simple-machines-for-kids.aspx
And Jackie Carson let me know of another great site http://appliancehelp.com/resources/Simple-Machine-Lesson-Plans.aspx
Here is a site that looks at leverage in a little more detail--easy to follow with easy math. Click here to see it.
Here is a wonderful site. The link will take you to a page about simple machines. Then if you click around the site you see that the theme is Leonardo Da Vinci and inventions. Wow!
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